"BALL, BALL!" "I'm open baby Jordan." BOOM! Goes Ramone as he dunks the ball in the hoop. "Man I do this, come on man sweet." Shouts Ramone. "Lil bro watch me; watch what I do to these cats." He said as he ran through the post, dunking the ball as if he was Jordan. "YEAH! Let's go Ramone." I screamed as if I was a drunken fan. "PICK, PICK!" He screamed. "Oh watch out," he yelled as he spent and went for the 3 pointer. Swish! "Nothing but net baby." He said with excitement. "Man where the D at yaw lil guys sweet." Ramone said with confidence and cockiness. "Ramone I'm hungry," I shouted. "Ok lil bro here I come this the last point." He replied as if he was out of breath. "DIME throw the DIME!" He shouted as they threw the dime he caught it and slid under his defender throwing up the prettiest layup I ever seen. Swish! "BAM B****!" He shouted. "Damn Mone that s*** was cold." The other players said as they acknowledged him.

"Good looking shawty, I'm gone though man, I got to go get lil bro sum to grub on." "S*** I need something to eat too, I'll walk with you." A couple of his hooping buddies said as he put his cloths on and his basketball gear in his bag. "Iight come on lil bro," he said as he was walking off. "Say man it's too dark for you to be out her lil shawty. Go sit on the porch or sum we'll walk and go get your food bro." "Ok Mone," I replied. "What you want from the open pantry man"? "Uumm some noodles, a 50 cent juice, and some crunchy kurlz." I said. "Ok go sit on the porch or some I'll be back." He demanded. We didn't live to far from the store or the courts. We were down the street from the store and a cross the street from the courts. So I sat and the porch and played the game boy waiting on my brother and his friends to return from the store.

30 minutes went pass and they still wasn't back yet, so I just figured they stop to talk to some girls on the way back. Then I looked down the street and saw them coming. As they got closer that were approached by 3 guys. They looked like they were around 16. They all had on black hoodies. One had on blue jeans while the other two had on black pants. Then all were wearing all black Nike boots. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but I could see their face.

They all had the most shiestest look I ever seen in my life. As I gazed down the street at them my stomach started hurting. I had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. A feeling I would hold with me forever and I didn't even know it. The dudes must have been robbing them because my brother friends took off their jackets and shoes and gave it to them along with some things in the pockets and from the store. Next thing I know they were running and leaving my brother their alone. I watched him as he just stared at me from down the street. Our eyes made contact as if he was trying to tell me something through his eyes. I felt the love then I heard a dude yell. "What the f*** you waiting for lil nigga take give me yo s***!" He said with so much aggression in his voice. My brother then just looked at him and stared for a while. Next thing I knew a punch was thrown.

SMACK! Ramone hit one of the dudes and he dropped to his knees like he was praying. Then that's when it happened. As Mone turned around to punch the other guy a gun was pulled by the guy with the blue pants. He pulled out a chrome 45' with a black rubber handle. The chrome part of the gun shined off the moon light. I squeezed me eyes closed super tight then it went off. POW! I then opened my eyes to see my brother drop to his knees while the 3 guys ran off. I then screamed. "RAMONE! I ran toward him crying. Neighbors came out with their phones screaming "call the ambulance where's his mother, where's the police." These are the same questions I asked myself. While I sat on the ground I placed his head on my stomach and his body across my legs. Blood was gushing out his mouth. It was as red as the devil horns. Running like a snotty nose. It was a pool of blood, and I held him as he looked at me. I was too young to know if he was dieing or not all I know is what I was in movies, and that was a monist 2 society scene like when cane died at the end. It all felt unreal but looked so real. I held him and he told me "fear no man, you on top of the mountain now shawty." He said as tears flowed down his cheeks. I then knew he was about to die because the words he said meant I'm the man of the house now. He used to say it to me all the time. "One day you gone on the tower shawty." I just didn't know it was going to be so soon. My last words to him was I love you, but he never had a chance to say it back he died on my lap. I couldn't cry. I couldn't feel. I couldn't see. All I felt was hurt. All I saw was hate. The ambulance rushed him on the gurney. As mother and my sisters pulled up screaming what happened? At that moment I had took a vowel of silence till I got the people who got him. I no longer had a childhood. I know longer had a hurt it was block by the rage of death and hate. He was only 13 in the 6th grade and now he's gone. When he died I died inside.